First the very short answer to your question. This is a very natural and normal phenomenon that happens to most post pubertal men. Now that I have reassured you about its normalness, I leave it entirely to you as to what you can do with it.

The longer answer

The phenomenon just described in the question medically referred to as “early morning tumescence” or simply "early morning erection". School lingo in the western countries refer it as the “dawn boner”.

As you know an erection happens because of increased blood supply to the penis. The arteries of the penis pump more blood than the veins can drain back. For this to happen, a man needs to be emotionally and/or physically stimulated. The early morning erections however is a phenomenon caused by changes in blood pressure that we all experience during our sleep. During the REM phase of your sleep, the blood pressure increases and particularly in the mornings, there is a tendency of the artery to the penis to relax its valves and pump more blood.

This particular phenomenon is so physiological and normal that in psychosexual medicine, we use it to differentiate erectile dysfunction (ED) of organic (physical) verses functional (psychological) reasons. If a man with erectile dysfunction tells me that he gets his early morning erections like before, it suggests that his arteries in the penis and his nerves in the spinal canal allow functioning normally. In such cases the more likely cause of his ED would be functional i.e. related to his thought process and may involve these circumstances generally or his partner in particular. Of course that is much longer topic beyond this answer.

There is a comparable phenomenon that happens in women’s as well though since their analogous organ (clitoris) being much smaller, it doesn’t allow the same sort of a physical experience that an erect penis of the man offers, so it is less spoken about. However it is for that reason a lot of couples will find it easier to have sex in the early morning when their physiology seems to nudge them in that direction.

The main lesson to take home from this long reply is to not worry and generally be happy.

I love the answer, Dr Bhide...'I leave it entirely to you as to what to do with it.' Most amusing!

Women readers, this 'phenomenon' of the dawn erection is a great way to ensure (or tell your man so he can ensure) all is well in the erection dept. The old advice was if a man is unsure as to whether he has a physical or psychological problem in the erection dept, he (or his partner) can buy a row of postage stamps, place them around the base of the penis (not tightly, but not loosely, either) and stick together so they form a ring. If this ring is broken in the morning, the problem aint physical! I put this here for light relief only, though I have no doubt this has come in handy for someone, somewhere!

It's 100% normal and not something to be concerned about at all. It's good you are keeping an eye on your organ in this way and noticing things; that way you will be sure to pay better attention to its general health, a subject many men tend to neglect. One way to do this si to regularly apply a superior penis health cream (health professionals recommend Man1 Man Oil) that can address issues of male organ dryness, odor, etc.

Related questions

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this forum are solely that of the individual user's and Menstrupedia cannot be held liable for the accuracy of any information provided by the users in this forum. Users are strongly advised to consult a professional medical practitioner before taking any steps based on the information provided in this question and answer forum.